Blueberry Cheesecake Squares

Blueberries are one of the highlights of summer for me.  We make an all day occassion of it.  You can read more about it here.  It has become a summer tradition.  The blueberry farm where we pick is an hour away from here.  Yes, we have some closer but there is something amazing about acres and acres of blueberry bushes that are taller than me! Besides we know the guy that runs the place and I look forward to seeing him and his dog every year.  I like listening to the Mexicans listening to their music and swearing in Spanish as I pick my blueberries.  It puts a smile on my face.  I love watching my kids run up and down the massive rows and eating blueberries till their little bellies paunch.  "Ah, ma, I just can't pick anymore!" Um, you mean you just can't eat anymore.  But really they did pretty good this year.  They filled up their little buckets twice with keepable blueberries!  That's progress.

Picking blueberries also gives my children some perspective on where their food comes from.  When we sit down at a meal they know that someone picked that food.  Made close to peanuts picking it but did so anyways for the sake of their families.  It was then brought to the warehouse, then to the store by truckers or workers who also had families to feed.  We bought it, brought it home and cooked it lovingly.  I hope that they can appreciate every effort that went into bringing that food to their plate.  I stop and think about it when I am, say, enjoying a mango from Mexico.  All the hands that brought it to my table.  And sometimes when I have a sense of peace and place I say a prayer for every soul that touched my food to make it possible for me to have it.  I know. It may sound a little sappy but I want to recognize the effort and hard work. I want other people to do the same.  Appreciation and gratitude is always the best thing.

Now here is a little love and appreciation for the people who showed me this WAY delicious recipe... Giz and company over at Equal Opportunity Kitchen.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 stick melted butter - (4 Tbsp)
12 oz of cream cheese
5 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoons lemon zest
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8x8 square baking pan with aluminum foil. Mix vanilla wafer crumbs with melted butter and press firmly into the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, blend cream cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest until smooth. (don't overmix or you'll get cracks)

Pour the mixture into the crust and cover the top with blueberries. Bake in the oven for 30-40 min or until the center is still a little jiggly but about to set.

Cool completely. Lift the cheesecake out of the pan and cut into bars.